Hat machinery



R. K REYNOLDS HAT MACHINERY Sept. 8, 1936.

Filed April 19, 1934 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS gal v2.71 K .fieynokls Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HAT MACHINERY Application April 19, 1934, Serial No. 721,345

15 Claims.

This invention relates to hat machinery and more particularly to spraying apparatus for a starting machine or the like. n

One of the objects of this invention is toprovide spraying apparatus which may be easily manufactured with inexpensive materials and low cost of labor. Another object is to provide apparatus of the above character which will be strong, practical'and thoroughly durable. An-

other object is to provide apparatus of the above character which may be easily installed in machines of different designs now in common use without material structural alterations. Another object'is to provide apparatus of the above character which may be easily operable without interrupting the normal functions of an operator of a starting machine. Another object is to provide apparatus of the above character which may be supplied with fresh water free from damaging impurities. Another object is to provide apparatus of the above character which, by its use, will not damage the. hat bats being sprayed. Another object is to provide apparatus of the above character which will utilize waste heat from other portions of the machine. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter. i

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,

and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention, 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a starting machine or the like having my apparatus installed therein; 1

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view partially fragmentary, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; a

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

45, Figure 4 is a, sectional view of a valve which forms a part of my apparatus.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, several difficulties now met with in hat manufacture will be pointed out. As an introduction to the sizing operation, hat bats are first subjected to a 6.5 "starting process, the details of which will be more clear from the description to follow.- .One of the operations incident to the most:efficient practice of the starting process is that of sprinkling groups of bats with hot water or the :like. This is usually accomplished by dipping a scrub 5 brush or the like in a tank of boiling water and subsequently shaking it over the group-of bats to sprinkle the water thereon. This cumbersome operation is accompanied by some very practical difiiculties. bench of the machine when they are in a loose and fragile condition, causes small clots of fur to gather on various portions of the bench which are gradually washed down into the tank. When the brush is dipped in the. tank it often picks 1,5,

up such particles of fur and, during thesubsequent shaking thereof, these small clots of fur are deposited on the bat. This is very injurious to the hat bat and usually causes the formation of what is known in the art as a dag, a small 20 bump of felt in the finished hat which is not only unsightly but weakens the entire hat structure. Further still, it is difficult to control the quantity of water dropped upon the bat by the brush and the force with which it is dropped. Also, unless 5 the operator is careful, the water will be unevenly distributed about the hat bat. All of these factors often serve to damage the hat bat-so materially during this sprinkling operation that at a later time the bat must be discarded. For 3; example, if too much water is dropped from the brush on one portion of the bat when it is in its loose condition, it may wash away some of the fibers or distribute them unevenly on that portion of the bat thus making a weaksection in the re- 35 sultant hat. Oneof the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus which will successfully and practically overcome these difficulties as well as many others.

' Referring now to'the drawing in detail, there 40 is shown in Figure 1 a starting machine including a table generally indicated at It] within which is supported a tank generally indicated at H for holding hot water or the like. Tank II is supplied with water in any suitable man- The continued rolling of bats on the 10,

venting water from spilling onto the floor in undue quantities.

A pair of supports l6 and I! extend above tank II and have rotatably mounted therein a pair of rolls l8 and I9 preferably power driven in any suitable manner as, for example, by way of a pulley wheel 20. Rolls l8 and I9 may be of any desired character suitable for carrying out the starting operation.

During the practice of the starting operation, the bats, usually in groups of three, are placed upon a cloth on bench l4, rolled into bundles, dipped in the tank II, and placed between the rolls l8 and I9. However, before the bats are rolled into bundles, it is desirable to sprinkle them with a delicate shower of hot clean water.

For this purpose I provide a pipe coil 2| suitably disposed within tank II and preferably so arranged as to be more or less completely covered by the hot water held by the tank. One end 2|a of coil 2| is connected to the outlet port'22 of a valve generally indicated at 23. Although valves of many different constructions might be used for this purpose, I prefer to provide a valve of the general type shown in Figure 4. Thus valve 23 has an upper chamber 24 connected to outlet port 22 and'a lower chamber 25 connected to an inlet port 26. Chambers 24 and 25 are in turn connected by way of a port 27 forming a seat for a head 28 having a stem 28a extending through chamber 24 and out through the top of the valve. A spring 29 is disposed between the bottom of chamber 25 and head 28 thus to normally hold head 28 firmly against the seat thereof and prevent passage of water from chamber 25 to chamber 24. Spring 29 may be held in position by a pair of lugs 30 and 3| located respectively on the bottom-of chamber 25 and the bottom of head 28. Inlet port 26 is connected to a suitable source of water by way of a conduit 32.

A lever 33 is pivotally connected to a stud 34 on the top of valve 23 and is in engagement with stem 28a. Preferably leg Ifla (Figure 1) of table l3 has pivotally connected thereto a foot pedal 35 which is connected to the outer end of lever 33 by a suitable connector 36. Accordingly downward pressure of pedal 35 depresses stem 28a to allow passage of water through valve 23, and release of that pressure allows spring 29 to force head 28 against its seat and prevent any further passage of water therethrough.

Turning now to Figures 1 and 2, end H b of coil 2| is connected to a tubular member 31. Tubular member 3'! is preferably located in the left-hand side of bench M as the operator faces the machine. Member 31 may be secured in this position in any desirable manner as, for example, by way of a pair of bracket members 38 and .39 attached to the bench. As best shown in Figure 2, member 31 is provided with a drain in its lower end through which water therefrom may drain back into tank Formed in the side of tubular member 31 facing bench I4 is a plurality of holes generally indicated at 4|. Holes 4| may be arranged in any suitable manner to direct a shower of water evenly on all portions of a group of bats generally indicated at 42 placed upon the bench I4 for the starting operation. For this purpose, however, I prefer to provide four rows of holes A, B, 'C and D as best shown in Figures 1 and 3. The lower row D (Figure 3) is almost parallel to a plane passing through the top of the bats 42 and holes A, B and C are arranged at angles thereabove. Accordingly when water is supplied to tubular member 31 by way of conduit 2|, a series of streams a, b, c and d emanating from the respective rows of holes A, B, C and D shoot outwardly to cover with a delicate shower of water all portions of the bats 42. It is to be particularly noted that the individual sprays forming the shower are generally in horizontal directions, as shown in Figure 3, and only drop a short distance to reach the bats. Consequently the water forming the shower reaches the bat without undue force and, in fact, so gently as to avoid any damage to the body of the bats.

In the normal operation of my unique apparatus, tubular member 31 remains empty due to drain 40 (Figure 2) while valve 23 is closed. However, coil 2| is filled with water heated adequately by the water in tank II and ready for the next operation of the apparatus. Coil 2| is preferably formed from a thin metal of high heat conductivity as, for example, copper, so that water contained therein may be quickly heated by the water in the tank.

The operator, after spreading the cloth upon bench I4, places the group of bats 42 thereon. Before continuing with the starting operation he now depresses pedal 35, opening valve 23, and allowing water to flow into tubular member '31. A general shower of clean hot water falls upon bats 42, the amount thereof being controlled by the length of time during which foot pedal 35'is depressed. Y Upon releasing foot pedal 35, valve 23 closes to stop the flow of water through coils 2| and the water remaining in tubular member 37 drains out into the tank by way of drain 4!]. The fresh sup ply of water in coil 2| is heated in a-very short length of time by the water in tank ll. Thus by the time the laborer has completed the opera tions-on this group of bats and places a new group on bench |4, my apparatus is ready to produce a new shower. of hot water in the manner described above.

Conduit 32, as explained above, may be connected to any suitable supply of water but is preferably connected to the usual city supply thus to furnish clean water to my apparatus free from damaging particles of foreign matter. By locating the tubular member 3'! on the left-hand side of the operator, it does not inconvenience him as most of the operations which he performs on the bench, such as the rolling operation, are usually practiced in directions substantially from the righthand outer corner to the left-hand inner corner.

Referring to Figure 4, it will be seen that the farther stem 28a is depressed and consequently the farther foot pedal 35 is depressed, the greater the amount of water passing through the valve and consequently the greater the intensity of the individual sprays forming the shower. Thus the operator may regulate the position of the shower with respect to the bench and may spray any portion of the bats 42 as'may be desirable. For example, if the left-hand side of the bats, as viewed in Figure 1-, needs additional water, he applied very little pressure 'to the pedal and, con-. versely, if the right-hand side of the bats needs more water he opens the valve wide.

Accordingly it will now be seen that my apparatus materially reduces the labor of the op-. erator thus to increase his efliciency and at the same time provides an :eflicient andpractical method of spraying groups of .bats in the start-- ing process free from the various difliculties hereinabovereferred to.v l @As; many possibleembodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes .might be made in. ,the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Iclaimzd 1. In hat machinery, in combination, astarting machine comprising a hot water tank and a bench adjacent the front side of said tank; and

sloping upwardly therefrom, meansfor supplying hot water tosaid tank, a tubular coil extending through said-tank, a source of water, a valve interposed between said source of waterand said coil, means for actuating said valve, and aspray device connected tothe. otherend of said coil and associated with said bench, said spray'device adapted to spray Wa ter on hat bats located on I said bench upon the actuation of said valve.

2 In hat machinery, inv combination, a starting machine comprising a hot water tank and a bench adjacent the front side of said tank and sloping upwardly therefrom, means for supplying hot water to said tank, a tubular coil extending through said tank, a source of water, a valve interposed between said source of water and said coil, means for actuating said valve, and a spray device secured to one side of said bench and connected to said coil whereby upon actuation of said valve said spray device showers hat bats on said bench with heated water from said coil.

3. In hat machinery, in combination, a starting machine comprising a hot water tank and a bench adjacent the front side of said tank and sloping upwardly therefrom, means for supplying hot water to said tank, a tubular coil extending through said tank, a source of water, a valve interposed between said source of water and said coil, means for actuating said valve, and a spray device secured to one side of said bench and connected to said coil, said spray device being provided with a drain for discharging excess water upon the closing of said valve, where'- by upon actuation of said valve said spray device showers hat bats on said bench with heated water from said coil.

4. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a tank of hot water and a bench extending from one side thereof, a conduit connected with a source of water extending through said tank to be heated by the Water therein, a tubular member secured to one side of said bench and connected to said conduit, said tubular member having formed therein a plurality of holes so placed as to provide a shower of water over a section of said bench when water is supplied to said tubular member, and means for controlling the flow of water through said conduit.

5. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a tank of hot water and a bench extending from one side thereof, a conduit connected with a source of water extending through said tank to be heated by the water therein, a tubular member disposed at one side of said bench and having rows of holes formed therein in such a position as to direct sprays of water upon all portions of a bat placed on said bench, and means for controlling the flow of water through said conduit.

,4 6. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a tank of hotwater and a bench extending from one side thereof, a conduit connected with asource of waterextending through said tank to be heated by the water therein, atubular member disposed at one side of said bench and having rows of holes formed therein in such a position as to direct, sprays, of water upon all portions of a bat placed onsaid -bench, said tubular member being provided with a drain inrthe bottom portion thereof, and means for controlling the flow of water through said conduit. 7

'7. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a, tank of hot water and a bench extending from one side thereof, a conduit connected with a source of water extending through said tank to be heated by the water therein, a tubular member disposed at one side of said bench and having rows of holes formed therein in such a position as to direct sprays of water upon all portions of a bat placed on said bench, a valve for controlling the flow of water through said conduit, and a foot pedal connected to said machine for actuating said valve.

8. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a hot water tank and a bench adjacent one side thereof, said bench sloping toward said tank, a source of water, a conduit connected to said source of water and extending through said tank, and a tubular member connected to said conduit and extending along one side portion of said bench, said tubular member being provided with a plurality of rows of holes so positioned as to form a shower of water on one portion of said bench when water passes through said conduit.

9. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a hot water tank and a bench adjacent one side thereof, said bench sloping toward said tank, a source of water, a conduit connected to said source of water and extending through said tank, a tubular member connected to said conduit and extending along one side portion of said bench, said tubular member being provided with a plurality of rows of holes so positioned as to form a shower of water on one portion of said bench when water passes through said conduit, and means for controlling the flow of water through said conduit.

10. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a hot water tank and a bench adjacent one side thereof, said bench sloping toward said tank, a source of water, a conduit connected to said source of water and extending through said tank, a tubular member connected to said conduit and extending along one side portion of said bench, said tubular member being provided with a plurality of rows of holes so positioned as to form a shower of water on one portion of said bench when water passes through said conduit, means for controlling the flow of water through said conduit, and a foot pedal for actuating said last-mentioned means.-

11. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a bench, a source of hot Water, a tubular member extending along one side portion of said bench and connected to said 'source of water, and means connecting said bats preliminary to the positioning thereof in said machine.

12. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a bench and a source of hot water, a tubular member extending along one side portion of said bench and connected to said source of water, means connecting said tubular member to said bench, said tubular member being provided wih a plurality of holes so positioned therein as to form a shower of water on a portion of said bench, and means for controlling the flow of water from said source to said tubular member.

13. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a hot Water tank and a bench adjacent one side thereof, a tubular member disposed at one side of said bench and provided with a plurality of holes so positioned as to form a. shower on one portion of said bench, a source of water, and a conduit connecting said source of water with said tubular member, said conduit being so positioned as to be heated by the water in said tank.

14. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine including a hot water tank and a bench adjacent one side thereof. a tubular member disposed at one side of said bench and provided with a plurality of holes so positioned as to 1 form a shower on one portion of said bench, a source of water, a conduit connecting said source of water with said tubular member, said conduit being so positioned as to be heated by the water in said tank, and means for controlling the flow of water through said conduit.

15. In hat machinery, in combination, a hat working machine comprising a hot water tank and a' bench sloping upwardly from one side thereof, a source of water, a conduit passing RALPH K. REYNOLDS. 

